Chapter 148 Opening the Third Gate Once More!

Upon opening the Gate of Rest, Si Kongxu’s entire body gave a violent jolt. A powerful shockwave rippled through the surrounding air, and with merely this slight twitch, the air around him was instantly blasted away.

This spectacle left Machiu Xing frozen in place. Just a physical twitching of the body was enough to send shockwaves through the air—just how immense must his true strength be!

If he had used such power against him back then, the outcome... As he pondered this, Machiu Xing’s expression turned grim. Undoubtedly, the current Si Kongxu possessed the strength to threaten him, or even Bai Hao.

Bai Hao was also slightly taken aback.

Such a startling detail in Si Kongxu's movement commanded his attention. No matter how cold and arrogant he was, he could not ignore someone capable of posing a threat to him.

"State your name." Bai Hao raised his hand, and the air around it instantly froze into a three-foot-long ice cone.

This cool and pretentious behavior of Bai Hao deeply annoyed Si Kongxu!

"Save that for when you defeat me!" Si Kongxu lunged forward abruptly, and accompanied by a loud, echoing thud, his figure vanished from the spot.

Si Kongxu seemed to transform into a gale, a fierce and murderous howling wind that rushed impetuously toward Bai Hao.

"Hmm?"

Seeing the formidable speed burst forth by Si Kongxu, even Bai Hao’s icy poker face could not help but reveal a trace of shock and skepticism. Such lightning-fast speed was something few people could achieve even among the entire second-year cohort!

He knew everyone capable of displaying such velocity, yet the fellow before him looked completely unfamiliar. Could he be a first-year freshman?

Turmoil churned within Bai Hao’s heart. He was eighty percent certain this person was a first-year freshman, but... how could a first-year freshman possibly...

At this very moment of slight distraction—

"You shouldn't daydream in the middle of a battle!" Suddenly, Si Kongxu flashed right in front of Bai Hao, delivering a flying side kick straight at him. The mighty force shattered the air along its path, producing a series of sonic booms.

Fortunately, Bai Hao’s reflexes were not slow either. The instant he felt danger approaching, he waved his hand, and the air in front of him suddenly transformed into chilling vapor, forming a thick ice wall.

Bang—

Under Si Kongxu’s powerful kick, the sturdy ice wall shattered instantly, and Bai Hao seized the opportunity to put some distance between them.

"Ha, turning chicken?" After kicking the ice wall to pieces, Si Kongxu pressed the attack, catching up to the rapidly retreating Bai Hao, only to be greeted by a flash of sharp, cold light.

Swish!

As it turned out, while rapidly withdrawing, Bai Hao had anticipated Si Kongxu’s trajectory. Although Si Kongxu’s speed was blinding and difficult to handle, it was not so fast that Bai Hao could not catch a glimpse of it. Thus, drawing upon his exceptional combat experience, Bai Hao instantly predicted Si Kongxu’s charging path and swung the ice spike in his hand ahead of time.

Regrettably, Si Kongxu’s own reaction was equally swift. Spotting the incoming flash of cold, he swayed slightly to the side to dodge it, and then delivered a fierce, straight punch directly toward Bai Hao’s lower abdomen!

Boom!

Si Kongxu’s punch was once again blocked by an ice wall summoned by Bai Hao. However, having learned from the previous block, Si Kongxu intentionally poured more power into this strike, causing the seemingly thick ice wall to shatter like a plastic panel under his fist.

Simultaneously, Si Kongxu’s attack landed squarely on Bai Hao’s lower abdomen.

Thud!

A dull impact echoed. Bai Hao could not help spitting out a mouthful of blood. Under the immense force of Si Kongxu’s straight punch, his body doubled over into a bow before being sent flying backward like an arrow.

"Impossible!" Machiu Xing, who was currently locked in combat with Yoshimura Kuzen, caught a glimpse of this scene and froze in place. He never imagined that the underclassman who should have been instantly killed had actually managed to send flying the person he considered the strongest among their peers! He felt as though his worldview was about to shatter!

"That ability of yours is really a pain in the neck!" Feeling the stinging pain in his fist, Si Kongxu could not help but sigh.

Although he had sent this fellow flying with a single punch, the part of his fist that made contact with the body had instantly suffered frostbite from the bitter cold. This type of ice-attribute control ability was truly troublesome.

"This ability has no fluctuating battle qi, and it doesn't look like otherworldly magic either. So, is it an ability from a fantasy world?" Si Kongxu rapidly analyzed the origin of this guy's power in his mind. Knowing its source might give him a way to counter it.

Bai Hao, lying on the ground, wiped away the blood from the corners of his mouth. He fixed his frigid gaze straight onto Si Kongxu and finally spoke, "I was careless."

"Careless, huh?" The corners of Si Kongxu’s eyes twitched. This guy's way of speaking was genuinely grating!

Through this brief exchange, Si Kongxu had managed to discern some of the guy's attack patterns and methods. His ice-attribute ability was indeed formidable, but it had significant shortcomings in close combat—and that was precisely the breakthrough point Si Kongxu intended to exploit.

"My name is Bai Hao. State yours." Bai Hao got back to his feet. From the moment he hit the ground, he had kept his eyes locked on Si Kongxu. That predatory gaze of his was fierce enough to frighten an ordinary person directly out of their wits.

Finally willing to give his name? The corners of Si Kongxu’s mouth curved into a smile. Turns out you really do have to beat these guys up before they start behaving.

"Si Kongxu, Morning Glow Academy, first year."

Si Kongxu’s words startled Bai Hao once more, but the look of surprise vanished from his eyes in an instant. He was no longer facing some first-year underclassman; he was facing... an enemy blocking his path!

"Your ability probably isn't otherworldly battle qi or magic, right? You must have obtained it from a fantasy world, didn't you?" Si Kongxu started babbling nonsense to Bai Hao, hoping to extract some crucial information from his response.

Pity that the guy completely ignored him!

[Freezing — Frozen Thorn Spear]

Disregarding Si Kongxu’s chatter, Bai Hao rose to his feet and waved a single hand. A gigantic spear of ice instantly materialized above his head. This ice spear was a full three meters long; if it were to thrust down, it could pierce clean through an entire house.

"Go!"

Under Bai Hao’s control, the ice spear suspended in mid-air gave a sharp, rapid quiver before shooting straight toward Si Kongxu.

"Useless!" Seeing the razor-sharp ice spear thrusting toward his left shoulder, Si Kongxu showed not a shred of panic. Such attacks might look flashy and intimidating, but their trajectory was far too singular!

With a light sidestep, Si Kongxu evaded the ice spear to the right. Just as he was about to mock Bai Hao's attack method as childish, his entire body suddenly stiffened, and he jerked his head upward.

High above him, a dense rain of sharp ice needles had already descended halfway down!

So that ice spear was merely meant to force him into the drop zone of the ice needle rain! What a shrewd calculation!

Looking at the dense downpour of ice needles overhead, Si Kongxu knew he had underestimated his enemy once again! Someone capable of such calculated orchestration must have survived countless life-or-death battles!

The ice needle rain was dense and covered a massive area, and having been caught off guard, Si Kongxu had lost the time needed to escape. In a split second, the tides turned; Si Kongxu, who had held a sliver of advantage, was instantly driven into a dead end!

"Damn it, I'll stake it all!"

[The Eight Gates] Third Gate, Gate of Life—Open!